40 years of rigorous imprisonment for Pastor for raping 12-year old girl

Thrissur: A 35-year old pastor of Salvation Army Church of Peechi was sentenced for 40 years of rigorous imprisonment on charges of raping a 12-year-old girl two years ago.

Thrissur first additional district sessions court judge K P Sudheer on Tuesday trying cases under Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, observed the accused deserved no leniency as he brutally raped the seventh standard girl at his presbytery (official residence) during the summer vacation in April 2014.

He also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on accused Sanil K James and also ordered the government to pay Rs three lakhs to the 12-year-old girl from its Victim Compensation Fund.

Sanil who hailed from Nedumkandam in Kottayam district, was sentenced to 20 years RI under IPC 376 and 20 years RI under various sections of POCSO. The court ordered that the sentences would run concurrently.

It also said that the pastor is also an accused in another case of raping a minor girl at Peechi. Police filed a case based on complaint received by Thrissur Child Welfare Committee. The trial in the case
is yet to begin. The convict has been taken to the Central Prison, Kannur.